News of the Week
Election 2012 *************** Northeastern Republicans Show (More) Signs of Life Connecticut's Linda McMahon has Democrats nervous about losing another blue-state Senate seat. *************** Reporters Using ‘Fake Names’ to Buy Obama Campaign Merchandise at the DNC Members of the media have apparently been using “fake” names to buy official Obama gear and contribute to the Obama campaign inside the Time Warner Cable Arena where the president is due to speak in a few minutes. During our travels around the arena, Politicker spotted a souvenir stand in one of the press stands selling T-shirts and buttons supporting President Barack Obama, “Democrats Are Hot” bumper stickers and other official Obama merchandise. *************** Reagan’s Children: New Republican Leaders Hail from Blue States A harbinger of November? Tea Party conservatives have already shown Reagan-esque appeal. *************** Paul Ryan: States Have the Right To Legalize Medical Marijuana As the Republican vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan gets ready to begin debate preparation on Sunday in Oregon, the Wisconsin lawmaker raised a few eyebrows when he told KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs that states should have the right to choose whether to legalize the drug for medical purposes. *************** The First Four Years Are The Hardest… (An open letter from Mike Rowe to Mitt Romney) *************** Together! It is a real burden not to cite every other paragraph spoken from the stage as a vindication of my book, The Tyranny of Clichés (or, for that matter, Liberal Fascism). Over and over again the Democrats spout, to paraphrase De Tocqueville, clear-but-false ideas. The overarching one of the whole convention: Government is the only thing we all belong to. Such bogus appeals to unity and community as a justification for activist government drive me batty *************** How 'Pro-Choice' are Democrats? *************** Anonymous group allegedly hacked Romney tax records via TN firm *************** Feds probe alleged hacking theft of Romney's tax returns The U.S. Secret Service is looking into claims that someone stole presidential nominee Mitt Romney's income tax returns and is threatening to release them if he doesn't pay up. *************** Democrats Ecstatic About ‘Belonging to the Government’ This came out of nowhere yesterday, and within 24 hours a previously unknown ideological rift has erupted: the videos below expose for the first time a fundamental distinction between the leftist/progressive mindset and the conservative/Tea Party philosophy. *************** Julian Castro: A Radical Revealed Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, who will be giving the keynote address tonight, is, according to some, the next Obama. But while Obama’s radicalism may have escaped the notice of the DNC in 2004, Castro’s views are bit more transparent. *************** California’s Awful Prop. 31: Is This Your Future? Wake up California. You are perilously close to ratifying Proposition 31, a sweepingly redistributionist and profoundly undemocratic transformation of your way of life, and you don’t even know what’s at stake. Suburbanites of California, you are the special targets of Prop. 31. Act now, or be turned into second-class citizens in your own state. *************** DNC: "The Government Is The Only Thing We All Belong To" *************** Democrats Proudly Declare We All Belong to the Government. Ditch God From Their Platform. *************** Marion Barry on Obama: ‘He’s not done everything I wanted him to do’ Marion Barry, the outspoken former mayor of Washington D.C., told The Daily Caller that he’s still a big supporter of President Barack Obama but said he doesn’t think the president has done as much for African-Americans as he would like. *************** A Reverse Wisconsin In Michigan, unions try to enshrine union power in the constitution. *************** Chuck Norris' dire warning for America - 2012 *************** Hill Poll: Voters say second term undeserved, country is worse off A majority of voters believe the country is worse off today than it was four years ago and that President Obama does not deserve reelection, according to a new poll for The Hill. *************** China Could Deliver Ohio to Romney China Daily attacked Mitt Romney last Monday, on the eve of his nomination as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. "Hide the Decline" *************** Friday Funny – climate change is not a joke ***************Last night at the DNC, President Obama released a climatic whopper to appease those donors that were threatening to withhold funds if he didn’t say something about climate in his speech. prior to his speech, Joe Romm had the best line ever about the way Obama has been treating the climate issue *************** Harry Reid's Son Representing Chinese Solar Panel Plant in $5 Billion Nevada Deal The son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Rory Reid, is the primary representative for ENN Energy Group, a Chinese energy company seeking to build a $5 billion solar panel plant on a 9,000-acre Clark County desert plot in Laughlin, Nevada. War & Terror *************** The Master ‘PLAN’: China’s New Guided Missile Destroyer China's navy appears on the verge of creating a new class of warship. It could eventually alter the balance of naval power in the region. *************** Canada cuts ties with Iran, closes embassy, orders Iranian diplomats home Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has severed Canadian ties with Iran over its sponsorship of terrorism and amid fears about the safety of diplomats in the country. *************** Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot published a startling report Monday detailing a message it says was conveyed by the Obama administration – via two European countries – to Iranian officials. The request: if Israel decides to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, the U.S. will not support it and the Islamic Republic should refrain from retaliating on U.S. military installations in the Persian Gulf. National *************** Delphi retirees Rep: Emails show ‘back-door deal’ to cut benefits Emails between the U.S. Treasury Department and the agency that handled the retirement benefits for Delphi salaried retirees reveal a “back-door deal” by the president’s administration to not protect those nonunion members, a congressman said. *************** Victory Coming, More on the Way While either party winning the presidency in 2012 historically can expect seat losses in the [2014] midterm, they are usually far worse in a [re-elected president's] second midterm. To this disadvantage Democrats add the 2014 hurdle of defending 20 Senate seats to Republicans' 13. *************** In Jackson, Mississippi, They Handcuff ‘Em! Enter the Jackson, Mississippi Public School District, where one school has taken disciplining of students to a new high (or low, depending on your view). They shackle students. *************** How Michelle Rhee Is Taking Over the Democratic Party In a major shift, education reformers are now influential at the highest levels of the party once dominated by the teachers unions. *************** Wayne Root leaves Libertarian Party, backs Romney Wayne Allyn Root, 2008 Libertarian Party’s Vice Presidential nominee and political commentator, resigned this morning from the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) to, according to his resignation letter, “elect good people and change the direction of this country outside of a third party.” *************** Feds Seek Prison Time For Obama "Hope" Artist Federal prosecutors want Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, to serve time in prison following his misdemeanor conviction for destroying and fabricating documents in connection with a civil lawsuit over the iconic campaign image. *************** The Machine: The Truth Behind Teachers Unions *************** Police Unions Cross Line While Bullying Public Officials California cops employ mafia-style tactics against their critics. *************** Texas Inventories Children Officials at Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, apparently view George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four as an instruction manual rather than a cautionary tale. Economy
& Taxes *************** Real Unemployment at 19% Beneath the surface of Friday's jobs report lies the reality of just how disastrous the Obama economy truly is. *************** German State Of Saxony Supports Legal Action Against ECB Since there have been tens of thousands of lawsuits filed internally in Germany with its constitutional court alleging the ESM is illegal, it was only a matter of time before the Germans decided to sue the ECB as well for its "unlimited" bond buying. The time has arrived. *************** A Tale of Three (or Really Two) Recoveries Maybe President Obama’s speech was so lacking in energy and confidence last night because he had already seen this morning’s jobs numbers. It’s a pretty grim report, and it brings into relief the grave problem he has in trying to persuade the public that we are on the right track. *************** Are you better off? Just 96,000 jobs added in August as 368,000 people LEAVE the workforce in bleak employment report dealing blow to Obama re-election hopes Lowest workforce participation rate since September 1981 Jobless rate drops to 8.1 per cent but only because workforce shrinks President Barack Obama knew of figures before big speech *************** Obamanomics: 173k New Food Stamp Recipients, 96k New Jobs It's like a corrupt media ritual. The moment a Republican enters the Oval Office, America's homeless are suddenly discovered, dragged before news cameras, and used as props to prove how heartless the current administration is. But as soon as a Democrat assumes office, the homeless suddenly disappear; presumably to a place with chocolate rivers and peppermint trees that only Democrat presidents are able to magically manifest as soon as the oath of office is complete. *************** The Socialist Counter-revolution Begins: France's Richest Man Seeks Belgian Citizenship *************** Obamanomics 101, Understanding How the Obama Economy Works *************** Study from German Economists Shows that Tax Competition and Fiscal Decentralization Limit Income Redistribution If we want to avoid the kind of Greek-style fiscal collapse implied by this BIS and OECD data, we need some external force to limit the tendency of politicians to over-tax and over-spend. *************** Details of the Auto Bailout You Won’t Hear in Charlotte The central economic selling point of the Obama reelection team is that the president saved the U.S. auto industry. That such a contestable proposition serves as the administration’s economic headline does more to underscore its abysmal record than to inspire confidence in its continued economic stewardship. *************** Eurozone Begins to Fracture The headlines lately have focused on the big picture problems in Europe: a bank run in Spain, the prospect of costly bailouts, Greece’s inability to push through reforms, and so forth. But something much more fundamental is happening. At the grassroots level, the euro currency area is falling apart. *************** Chart Of The Day: China Industrial (Lack Of) Production *************** June Foodstamp Recipients Hit All Time High As Three Times As Many Americans Enter Poverty As Find Jobs Following a brief period in which it seemed that US foodstamp recipients may have peaked, with those living in poverty maxing out at 46.514 million in December 2011, and then declining modestly for the next few months, June saw a new surge in those Americans living in poverty and thus eligible for foodstamps, with 173,600 new entrants into the system, bringing the total to a new all time high of 46.670 million and once again rising fast. *************** Contra His Incessant Whining, Obama Was Handed an Economy in Recovery From the outset, the Obama administration has pushed one primary message to the public. They have never wavered, never faltered, never stumbled in delivering that message, which we hear on a weekly basis. And for good reason – that message has been their sole defense against the reality of our miserable economy *************** International *************** U.K.: Who is safe at night when a mindless judge hails a burglar’s courage? The law is on the side of homeowners who are faced with an intruder, but it doesn't always feel that way *************** The Conservative Kerouac Beat novelist, Catholic, Republican—do you know Jack? *************** Are Republicans Fooling Themselves? Overall, the Democrats put on an effective show. With the possible exception of the McGovern convention, this was the most left-leaning Democratic gathering in memory. Some of that may have been counterproductive, particularly on social issues. To the extent that Republicans dismiss this convention as either a failure or relatively meaningless, however, I think we’re fooling ourselves. *************** Silvio Berlusconi's 'James Bond-style' underground cave Silvio Berlusconi's summer retreat on Sardinia's exclusive Costa Smeralda, which gained notoriety for parties with topless models, features an underground cave, complete with an emergency escape exit to the sea. *************** Honduras signs deal to create private cities The government of Honduras has signed a deal to hand over land to private investors for the construction of three privately run cities with their own legal and tax systems *************** Hong Kong protests grow against China 'brainwashing' in schools *************** 'Russia considered quitting Syria naval facility' Kremlin decided against evacuation after assessing situation in Syria stable enough, according to Interfax. *************** Opinion *************** It's the 200th anniversary of the battle of Borodino, on which the 1812 Overture is based *************** Drawing a Line in the Sand Against Government-Take-All Society Over the past few months, there has been a daily trickle of establishment Republicans coming out before the media in hostage style confession statements to declare that they would accept tax increases as part of a “grand bargain” to cut the deficit. The latest members are Senator Lamar Alexander and Rep. Scott Rigell. *************** |
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